"How Running Saved My Mind" A True Story.

"How running saved my Mind plus some". A True Story..
As I was putting together the collage for the previous post ( on Facebook), I came across some old pictures that held a painful story to me. It's so easy to just focus on the fact that I am some pounds lighter and think that the transformation is just physical or could just benefit my confidence but...oh there is so much more.

We hear a lot that " eyes" don't lie, but looking at many before and after pictures, of myself and others, I have discovered that even smiles hold a lot of meaning in themselves.
 I came across some pictures from last April and I cried not because of the weight I used to be and have and lost but because of the 'dead weights' I used to carry...and lost...the pounds I dropped since last year are so far from being just physical. I could be here all night trying to explain how I gave birth to my 4 th child just before  my birthday and the day that was expected to be like any other C-section for me, ( I had 3 before) turned out to be a fateful day for both of us.

 Doctors took extra hours keeping me on this earth and just as soon as I was in the recovery room many hours behind schedule, I was told that only some miracles would allow me to return home with her. Four days later we were finally out of the Nicu but not done with many doctors' visits...I am still praising God for the miracles.

 This is the part my weight loss journey can't never tell based on pictures. On one picture I am with my college best friend. She visited last April with her family and teased how I used to be so small in college, me a size zero, she explained how she used to wonder how I could fit in skirts so small.

 Hard to swallow that I am now next to her on a couch and I was so big that my knee-long dress almost looked like a mini when I sat down.
We were saying our goodbyes and I smiled for the camera. But while holding the baby and smiling with her I was wondering..." should I tell her what the doctors said..."?
 I never did tell her. I kept my faith or fears to myself and just wondered how I would survive mentally. I was falling apart inside but holding strong outside! Does this sound familiar?

  When my patient and loving husband  insisted that I finally accompany him running, I was so drained, so tired of explaining why I can't or won't that I did it! I used to say that I wasn't a runner, that I could only run on a treadmill, that I couldn't run outdoors because I was big and people would laugh, .... Sometimes you get so low that it doesn't matter anymore what others think. I hated my " big short figure" in the new tight and tank top I had bought a month ago...but I did it anyway!

The rest....the rest is history like they say...but it's the story I rarely share! Fitness is not always about losing weight. You have to " occupy" till He comes. Sometimes it's in the midst of you stepping forward in faith that your miracle happens like Moses who had to step in the Red sea before it split. Not a moment before.

I am sharing this because I need to just be authentic. Yes I wanted to lose weight, yes it feels great to be smaller but the reason why I started running was to keep me alive on the inside....running outdoors has blessed me  so much. It allowed me to bond with my husband at a time my health and the baby's health was consuming me and draining me.
It allowed me  to worship God in a new way at a time when I was getting too drained to even pray for myself. Being in nature is such a gift when you are a Believer because it makes it impossible not to feel God's presence.
 It helped me to dig deep within at a time when I was doubting myself more than ever....how could I raise 4 kids, be a good mom and a good wife when I didn't know what the future held for my baby girl?  Running saved my mind...the physical weight loss is only a positive side effect! This is my true story!

My name is Nako, I am a mother of four, a Believer, a Runner and Running saved My Mind!
If you are already part of our Facebook community please let me know how this story spoke to you.
If you are not yet part of our Facebook community please join us on there and give us the pleasure of meeting you.
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HOW TO HELP OVERWEIGHT KIDS LOSE WEIGHTS: Tips to help children be healthy

Tips to keep your children healthy.
* I have received some requests on my Facebook page to share those tips  so I hope in help others. Please met us on our Facebook page for great healthy tips!
Either you have a child that's overweight or you want to raise the bar for your already healthy children here are a few things to consider NUTRITION & ACTIVITY

NUTRITION

1) Remove all the junk food and temptation from your home.
2) In teaching your children to eat healthier have them involved in the process, cooking, grocery shopping, actively learning the health benefits of the food they are eating.
3) To make some more serious change in their nutrition increase the consumption of their healthy favorite and gradually add some of the least favorite by using very creative ways of cooking. Smoothies or blending veggies before adding them to soups or meat dishes can play the trick.
4) Pack their school lunch and always pack a healthy snack when you are on the go. Never give them or yourself a reason to stop at a drive thru or at the grocery store for processed food.
5) Think more in terms of fresh and more food that do not come in a box or in a wrap. True healthy food really doesn't have a lot of packaging or labeling.

ACTIVITY

6) Turn the games, get off the couch get a bike, a jumprope, some balls ( basketball, soccer, football) or just go on a walk but GET YOUR CHILD OUT OF THE HOUSE to throw ball, play catch,...
7) If the school is close by WALK TO & FROM SCHOOL.
8) More walking less driving
9) More family times outdoors enjoying nature, walking, fishing, swimming, discovering new areas around less time seating on couch or on social media
10) Always offer intellectual stimulation, curiosity and a passion for learning give everyone a silent desire to live better. Go to outdoor concerts, to the museums...make learning fun & interactive.
11) If you should stay home and play games make sure that the games force you & your children to move. There are great fitness games available.
Seat together at the table for meals. It allows for more quality time, time to talk and bond and ideal to maintain healthy eating and emotional habits!
Adopt this healthy lifestyle with your children, doing things as a team is more powerful and by practicing what you preach you will be more impactful.
Enlist the people around you to support your endeavors. Let them know what your strategy is, learn from theirs if they have some suggestions and Make it happen.
All those suggestions will come naturally with time as there are very doable and 'natural'!


FRENCH TRANSLATION
TRADUCTION EN FRANCAIS

NUTRITION
1) Retirer de votre cuisine toute nourriture qui n'est pas bonne pour la santé ou tentation.
2) Pour enseigner a vos enfants a mieux se nourrir, impliquez les dans le processus quand vous cuisinez, faites le course au marche, et apprenez facons active les bienfaits des aliments que vous consommez.
3) Augmentez la consummation de leur aliments sains favoris et ajoutez de maniere croissante les aliments qu'ils aiment le moins, Avec de l'astuce et de la creativite vous pourrez rajouter ses aliments aux smoothies ou les brouiller pour les rajouter a vos soups ou a vos sauces.
4) Faite de gouter d'ecole de vos enfants et assurez vous que vous avez toujours de bon aliments comme goute meme les jours ou il n'y a pas d'ecole.
5) En faisant les achats pensez plus aux aliments frais et a ceux qui ne viennent pas en boite ou avec beaucoup d'emballage. Les frais aliments sains et nutritifs n'ont pas besoin de beaucoup d'emballage, ni de beaucoup d'etiquettes.

Warrior's Wednesday

Definition of Warrior

1. 

fighter: somebody who takes part in or is experienced in warfare

2. 

somebody in conflict: somebody who takes part in a struggle or conflict

NOUN

Synonyms: soldier, fighter, combatant, trooper

 

It's Wednesday and maybe you want to rest after going strong Monday & Tuesday, I hope you did, or may be you want to use it as another slacking day! Well don't!

 

Instead, go on what I now call WARRIOR MODE!
 

 

I prefer Warrior to the common beast mode. Why Warrior? Because Warriors have dignity, they have honor, they have passion, they have skills and endurance that make them admirable!

 

In your fitness journey you are not fighting anyone but yourself. Now imagine that you are in a fight like this one below! But you are not fighting anyone but You. You are fighting the person that gave you excuses after excuses. The one that gave up when she could keep pushing! The person that whined and complained when she could shut up and get to work!!!

 

You have to get your mind right if you plan on lasting and winning!

 

Warrior Wednesday might as well be Winner's Wednesday! Because you are in this to win!

 

So today

1) Get your mind right and believe that you can do it and if you have a strong faith in yourself just use the little faith you got because all you need is a little bit of faith. The more you go at it the more your will grow confident.

 

2) Commit to it! Why? Why not? What have you gain by going half way, cheating on too many meals, making too many excuses? Come on! Commit and take it one day at a time

 

3)Never Give Up! You are in you are in! Quitting and Giving up are not an option. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!

 

Now, stick around our Facebook page, share it with your friends and become an ambassador of Healthy Can Be Done!

 

Welcome Warrior! Welcome to the Tribe of Winners. Welcome to Tribe Healthy!!!

 

~N'nako~

 

March Challenge Mind Body & Soul Challenge: My Review

This is my first draft of my review...I will polish it later but if you want to read now...by all means ...


In the course of the month of March I have committed to reading a book.

I selected Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant. The book was available at the Dollar Store and even though I never heard of Robyn Okrant till then, I needed to pick a book for the month and for just $1.00 the price and the timing were perfect! I bought and started the book after the first week of march and completed it on the 23rd.
The book was very funny and very pleasant. The only thing I didn't like is the use of random cursed words at about 6-10 occasions throughout the book. I do not use cursed words and was disappointed to see them used in a book.  I love books and expect them to offer me intellectual satisfaction at many level.
I am glad she didn't use cursed words more than she did. Beside this aspect of the book I found myself laughing out loud at many occasions.  Since part of our March Challenge was to do something new each week, the book offered some interesting things that I intend on practicing and they were references to other books that I certainly intend on checking out.

In the course of the month I tried some new things from food to simple activities.
One of them was food from a local café called Dipped Fresh when the weirdest thing is, the mother of the owner has been a member on my Facebook page for quite a while.

I visited a couple of weeks ago a Surf Shop and enquired about things such as Stand Up Paddling and skateboarding. I am very opened to try both especially SUP! I bought myself a bracelet there that I love wearing now. It makes me feel cool and beachy ha ha ha!

I have been consistent with my workouts doing 2 sometimes 3 shorts workouts sessions within the same day and including some toning through weight lifting and resistance training.

Not eating after 7pm has been a challenge on some days but when I did I stuck to light snacks or meals.
My raw days were Thursdays and some Thursdays were hard as my husband would make Chili. They were days when I was eating more like 80 % raw instead of 100%. But in the course of the month my intake of fresh raw food and smoothies has been very consistent.

My attitude this month has been pretty good! I kept my gratitude journal most days and it helped me refocus on those days when I had a slump. I appreciate that when I most needed someone who is a member of my Facebook page would send me an encouraging text message expressing her appreciation for the page and the content I share and it would boost me in more ways than she could have imagined.

Overall the challenge and administrating the page have kept me focused and accountable.

I personally prefer doing a Mind Body & Soul Challenge  versus a physical challenge because just focusing on working out alone is not enough to keep me healthy overall. As a mother of 4 young ones, I am aware that my mind needs stimulation and positive focus to help me appreciate any physical efforts I put in. People say that working out will make you happy and it's very true but there are times when you are done working out and given your best and something happen in the course of the day that can make you feel so frustrate and sad and building the habit of reading, consciously learning new things, pampering myself  ect always help me in ways working out alone can't!

Did you do the March Challenge? If yes how did you benefit from it? Please join us for our April Challenge!

Brown Sugar and Raw Honey Scrub

The Raw Honey and Brown Sugar Scrub.

I am a strong believer in using kitchen ingredients to pamper and treat myself.

The Raw Honey & Brown Sugar Scrub is excellent for your face, as a body scrub and for  rough areas on your body, such as elbows, knees and feet. For a wonderful scrub that you can use once or twice per week, here is all that you need to do:

Ingredients:

• Raw honey: The use of raw honey gently exfoliates the skin and stimulates circulation without causing irritation and dryness. Raw honey is a humectant which has the quality of attracting and retaining moisture, so it balances the skin moisture to give a soft glowing complexion. Another one of the amazing raw honey benefits for skin is its protection against sunburns.
• Brown Sugar: Exfoliating the skin with a brown sugar scrub cleans and tightens pores giving the skin a more even uniform appearance; pores look smaller, skin tone more even. It can also diminish the damage to the skin caused by acne and other skin conditions. Using a brown sugar scrub improves your skin's ability to retain its natural moisture balance.
• Oil such as Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Tea tree oil or other body oil I add a few drops to make the paste more manageable.
• Essential Oil (optional) Scented oils such as lavender, eucalyptus and others, should never be used directly on skin so make sure to mix to oil or lotion prior to using.
• Wash Cloth

Directions:

• Mix 1 TBSP Raw Honey to 1 TBSP of Brown Sugar Add drops of  oil geared. If prone to   acne, some oils will help with controlling it . Consider peppermint, tea tree or rosemary for example.
•  Apply the mixture to a clean face in upward circular motions for 3-5 minutes. Take your damp warm wash cloth and gently wipe the mixture off of your face. Repeat until the scrub is completely removed. Follow with a cool water rinse. Tone. Moisturize.

Oh my Goodness, your face is going to faithfully thank you for this one. Your skin is going to feel extremely smooth as the facial removes excess oil and dead skin cells through exfoliation.
If dealing with acne  this scrub works overtime to relieve you from it
 And really, who doesn't want healthy, smooth, hydrated skin?

I try to do this facial scrub at least two times per week. I love this scrub because it's inexpensive and works wonders. Give it a try before you spend your money on chemical peels, commercial facial scrubs, etc.
Check more Pampering articles by entering pampering or self care in the search box.

Thanks for reading and please join us on Facebook we would love to meet you there!

MARCH CHALLENGE: MIND BODY & SOUL CHALLENGE.

              THE HEALTHY CAN BE DONE MARCH CHALLENGE:

    MIND BODY & SOUL CHALLENGE

This is for all our Facebook friends and those of you who come across this link please join us on Facebook. If you can not join us on Facebook, you can still join in the fun and leave comments here on the blog! I hope to hear from you!


STARTING ATTITUDE THIS MONTH:
 NO COMPLAINING, NO WHINING, WORK FOR IT, TAKE MASSIVE ACTIONS.
 WEIGH YOURSELF ON YOUR SCALE ONCE AND PUT ITAWAY FOR THE REST OF THE CHALLENGE.

MARCH PROMISE: Take Massive Actions and Raise your Commitment to your Health in every areas of your life. Health emotionally, financially, mentally, physically and so on...

I- HAVE ONE RAW DAY PER WEEK  OR AT LEAST A MEATLESS DAY PER WEEK.
Avoir un jour dans la semaine ou vous ne mangerez ques des crudités ou a la rigueur un jour ou vous ne consommerez pas de viands.

II-ONE SMOOTHIE/JUICE A DAY & NO HEAVY MEALS AFTER 7 PM.
Boire un smoothie ou un jus frais par jour et pas de repas lourds après 19h.

III- WORKOUT 20-30 MINUTES 6 TIMES A WEEK IF YOU ARE JUST  BEGINNING.
                          DO TWO A DAYS 4 TIMES A WEEK IF YOU ARE MORE ADVANCED
                          DO WEIGHT/RESISTANCE TRAINING 2-3X A WEEK REGARDLESS OF YOUR LEVEL.
Vous exerciser 20-30 minutes 6 jours dans la semaine si vous etes debutants.
Faire 2 activites sportives dans la meme journee, 4 jours de la semaine si vous etes deja actifs.
Faire de la musculation 2-3 fois par semaien quelques soit votre niveau athletic.

IV- STRETCH 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 15 MINUTES.
Consacrer 15 minutes, 5 fois dans la semaine, a vous etirer.

V-READ ONE BOOK THIS MONTH. TWO OR MORE IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE READER.
Lire un livre ce mois ci. Si vous pouvez lire 2 a 3 livres faite le.

VI- DO SOMETHING NEW ONCE A WEEK. Try new volunteering activities, a new family activity, a new sport, check a new type of restaurant with healthy option, visit a new attraction, whatever it is do something that is out of your ordinary activities.
Faire une activite nouvelle une fois par semaine.

VII- COMMIT TO RESTING, PAMPERING YOURSELF ONCE A WEEK. It can be 2 hours to yourself once a week or 10 minutes daily.
Consacrer un jour de la semaine a se ressourcer, reposser et se poupouner!

SELECT A REWARD TO TREAT YOURSELF AFTER COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE. It could be a new pair of running shoes, new athletic gears or new outfits, it could be a small getaway or a new electronic gadget but no food related.

ONCE YOU HAVE SELECTED YOUR BOOK, YOUR REWARD, SHARE YOUR CHOICE WITH US TO INSPIRE OTHERS.

CHECK IN OFTEN TO LET US KNOW HOW YOU ARE DOING. It will help you in celebrating your efforts, keeping yourself accountable and motivating others to actions!

CHECK THE FEBRUARY CHALLENGE IF YOU WANT TO ADD MORE TO THIS ONE.

* In case you wonder why I don't have the typical physical challenge that most Facebook Fitness pages offer here's my reasons.
1)Many people are already following fitness pages and I don't want to add a physical challenge that would lead them to over commit and sabotage their focus.
2) There's more to our well being than being able to do 100 push ups or burpees or 2 minutes wall sit up! Our overall wellness is more important to me.
3) I prefer to be myself and not copy others, to each one his/her strengths and creating physical challenges is not my thing at this point in time.

Thanks for joining us in this challenge!

                                      HAVE  A VERY BLESSED MONTH OF MARCH!
I PRAISE GOD FOR KEEPING YOU AND ALLOWING YOU TO MAKE IT THIS FAR AND I WISH YOU AN OUTSTANDING MARCH 2013!!!

 

How to be more mindful & healthier February Challenge

Hi,
This is a Mind Body & Soul challenge that I shared on our facebook page. Please join us on Facebook for more daily tips & inspiration.
The reason behind this challenge is that there is more to successful weight loss than just exercising and eating right. Paying more attention to our minds & souls would prevent emotional eating for example and give us more awareness about the quality of our lives. It's my prayer that living with more awareness will increase the desire to live better and make smart choices that would lead us cloer to our goals. Join in the challenge. Let us know what part speaks the most to you and see you on Facebook!

~Mind Body & Soul February Challenge~

Eat a healthy breakfast every day no skipping
Eat one salad a day
... Juice or make one smoothie a day
Set your table and dine solo or with your family. Turn the TV off, play some nice music as you so desire but eat peacefully 3-5 times a week or the whole week if you can. Have one meal a day where you are enjoying your food mindfully.
Exercise 5 times a week. Even when you are short on time commit, to short exercise videos or play some music and dance with all you got.
Commit 10 minutes a day to stretching your body.
Pamper yourself twice a week or more. There are many fun homemade spa treatments you can treat yourself to. Give yourself a facial or foot massage at least 2X a week.
Have a couple of hours to yourself once a week. A whole day is ideal but I am a wife & a mother of 4, I know it's not that easy to do.
Take 10-20 minutes to meditate/relax daily.
READ 20 minutes at leat 5X a week. Pick a book & READ! Read to your young child 20 minutes 5X a week.
Turn your daily commute, or daily chores into an eductational time by playing audio books or motivational messages.
Watch less TV.
Go to bed early. 10:30 pm is still my biggest challenge :-)
Keep a gratitude journal this month and write daily 10 things you are grateful for.
Say thank you more. Write Thank You Note, give appreciation gifts just because, contact people who have been a blessing to you and say THANK YOU.
Do a random act of kindness every single day this month.
When someone talks to you, focus on them not your phone or whatever.
Remove chaos & distractions the best you can.
Simplify your life. ( Take time to examine what you are still doing that no longer works for you and stop it).
PRACTICE MORE TO BE IN THE MOMENT.
Kick start your Spring cleaning and commit 20 minutes 3X a week to decluttering or reorganizing a space that needs your attention.
Listen don't just hear, look don't just glance or vaguely see.
Research & study something new to you. Be curious & learn on purpose.
Listen better to others and.... to yourself...
Keep a journal this month & see how well you are doing in this Mind Body & Soul challenge.